MC&T Staff 
It’s the end of September which means it’s time for the State Fair of Texas, bringing hyperbole and mittenstringing courtesy of your favorite media men and women. This year though, it’s probably justified considering Ford rocked up with a truck capable of hauling the entire fair clean up to Canada with the 2020 F-Series Super Duty.
Seriously, Ford has crown themselves king of the most capable and powerful heavy-duty pickup truck in existence. The specs being bandied about are quite frankly ridiculous: best-in-class maximum gooseneck towing capacity of 37,000 pounds, best-in-class maximum fifth-wheel towing of 32,500 pounds and best-in-class maximum bumper towing of 24,200 pounds when equipped with the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel V8. These insane ratings are for the 2020 F-450, which, depending on who you ask, is a Medium Duty truck.
With that in mind it’s worth mentioning that the max fifth-wheel tow rating for the 2020 Ford F-350 is 35,750 lbs, which is still an absurd metric by all accounts. For comparison’s sake, the max fifth-wheel tow rating for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD is 35,500 lbs, while the new Ram Heavy Duty is rated to pull 35,100 pounds from a fifth-wheel.
Speaking of FoMoCo’s new Power Stroke V8, it’s the most powerful diesel engine Ford has ever built, and it arrives on the scene sporting 475 horsepower–good for best-in-class FYI–along with an astounding 1,050 lb-ft of torque. The previous record holder was the 2020 Ram HD, with 400 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft. Slap a Peterbilt badge on these things and nobody would be the wiser.
It’s not just the oil-burner that boasts big muscles, the aptly-nicknamed “Godzilla” 7.3L V8 gasser also claims best-in-class capability with 430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of twist, edging the new 6.6L gasoline engine from General Motors in its 2020 Silverado HD and 2020 Sierra HD at 401 horses and 464 lb-ft.
Even better, the 2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty offers best-in-class payload right from the bottom of the build sheet: the standard 6.2-liter gasoline engine offers 7,850 of payload capacity. To put the Super Duty’s max capabilities into perspective, you could conceivably haul a gooseneck trailer jammed with 11 Ford GT supercars, nearly 30 cows, or half a dozen of its rival pickup trucks. And the more drivers can tow in one trip, the more money they can make on the delivery.
If you’re into dirty talk, the 2020 Super Duty with Tremor Off-Road Package offered on both the F-250 and F-350 is the most capable off-road oriented Super Duty ever. When equipped with the Power Stroke it can yank a 15,000 lb trailer from its bumper, or a 21,900-pound gooseneck. Plus the 7.3L Godzilla V8 gas engine offers 4,210 lbs of max payload which is quite literally an overlander’s wet dream.
Ford expects the new F-Series Super Duty will continue to command huge market share among the mining, construction, and emergency vehicle industries thanks to new technology like the class-exclusive Pro Trailer Backup Assist and an embedded 4G LTE modem with Wi-Fi access for up to 10 devices.
Look for the 2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty to begin shipping to dealers from the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.
